Estacado's Early College High School 'made up of good things'

Thursday

There have been struggles, a student of Estacado High School's Early College High School told trustees for Lubbock Independent School District at their board meeting on Thursday morning.

Jaden Salter, a sophomore, said she jumped from middle school to college in the span of a single summer. Of course that's going to be difficult.

But she said the experience is teaching her and her classmates what they will have to deal with in college.

"The program is made up of good things," Jaden said.

She said she also feels Estacado is getting more recognition for its academic efforts because of the Early College High School. The program is offered through a partnership with Texas Tech.

"There have always been fantastic students at the school," she said, but now they are being recognized.

Jaden thanked the trustees for the opportunity to take up to two years of college classes while in high school. She has already taken classes in AVID, history, cultural diversity and business management. Next year she will take 22 hours of college courses at Estacado, and in her senior year, she will be able to take 22-25 hours.

"We shouldn't have this opportunity, but we do, thanks to you all," Jaden said.

The program has had some growing pains. While there were 58 students in the program the first year, now 53 of those students remain as sophomores. Five students moved or transferred out, according to principal Angelica Wilbanks.

The freshman class has 82 students involved in the Early College High School, and 80 students have been admitted for the third year of Early College High School.

Wilbanks said the program is targeting at-risk students, and because there are several more females than males, administrators are trying to reach out to boys and their parents to let them know about the opportunity.

Some day, she said, she hopes everyone at Estacado is a student of the Early College High School.

Other Lubbock ISD business

Trustees also heard a report on insurance from Bill Tarro, executive director of risk management for the district.

Tarro said the district is self-funded. The insurance plans offered let the employees know the district cares about them and their health. He said 92.5 percent of district employees participate in a wellness plan. The district also offers a diabetes management program, a maternity reimbursement program, an employee assistance program, a dental program and gym membership reimbursements up to $18 per month.

Lubbock ISD contributes $330 per employee per month, or $13.8 million per year. Employees contribute $602,000 per month, or $7.2 million per year. There are 2,774 employees covered under the health plan, while 733 opt out of the coverage because they get health insurance elsewhere.

Rick Rodriguez, assistant superintendent of human resources, said the low cost of insurance is a huge selling point for the district when recruiting from candidates working elsewhere in the state.

But Tarro said there could be changes coming in the future.

"I know that we're going to have to look at some different ways to rein in our health plan," Tarro said. He said the district may need to look at a different kind of plan that will only cover one hospital. Medical inflation is in excess of 5 to 10 percent, he said.

Jeff Baum, chief financial officer, gave a first overview of the district's budgeting process. The district will hold workshop meetings on the budget on May 10 and May 24, and will have a hearing on June 21, when it will likely approve an amended 2017-18 budget to finalize this year and a 2018-19 budget for the coming school year.

Baum said he projects a 2.5 percent increase in certified property values within Lubbock ISD. In 2017, the properties within the district were valued at $10.84 billion, while this year, he said the district is projecting values of $11.11 billion. The preliminary values will be released April 25, he said.

The preliminary budget figures show revenues of $222.41 million and expenditures of $221.85 million. District expenditures are down $544,921 from last year, Baum said, mostly because the district will have fewer payroll expenses next year.

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